Midnight Skies
by Gingercookiessnaps
Summary: Mana decided to travel with Kenta and Ryuga after she noticed Kenta was traveling with him. Seeing the boy as a little brother, she followed them. Midnight Skies is a series of one-shots that are set during the night after everybody has settled down for the evening. (Except Ryuga. Mana thinks he's a vampire.) What will come out of these little adventures? Maybe things.
1. Marshmallows

**A/N: **Why do I do this to myself? ;a; What am I talking about you ask? Well, read and see. By the way, Ryuga crashes Chrome. *stares at him* And Kenta slows it. *gaze shifts to Kenta* Don't be like him!

* * *

The fire kindled brightly as another twig was tossed into it. The blaze gave a spark of light before settling to a warmth bath. Mana poked it with a stick before grabbing a few marshmallows out of her bag. She always brought marshmallows with her; marshmallows were good. She placed one on a stick before handing it to the green haired boy next to her. Kenta grinned as he started to roast the marshmallow. Mana followed his lead before both had toasted, yet gooey, marshmallows on sticks in front of them. Kenta moved his around to look at it.

"How do I eat it, Mana?"

The girl choked back a laugh as she took her own marshmallow off the stick before plopping it in her mouth. She grinned at him with a mouth full of marshmallow. Kenta giggled as he did the same exact thing with his marshmallow. Mana smiled softly at him before tossing another marshmallow in the air. She took aim before throwing it at the back of The Dragon Emperor's head. The marshmallow made not a sound, but Ryuga turned to give her a glare.

"Why are you here?" he had to ask.

The Ice Fox user shrugged as she placed another marshmallow on the stick she was using to roast the marshmallows. She knew the exact reason she was following Kenta and him; she didn't feel like explaining. Hey, she was all for acting like a cold bitch if he was going to act like a cold – well – him. She ignored his question as she went about her own business. Kenta looked between the two of them before sighing. Of course, out of all the people, he'd get stuck between Ryuga, the Dragon Emperor, and Mana Valkov. The younger boy hoped he'd convince Ryuga to join their cause soon. A point poked his side as he let out a slight laugh; he was ticklish.

"Why the long face, Kenta?" she asked pronouncing the first part of his name with a hard snap of her tongue.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm just hoping that Ryuga will come help Gingka and the others. I feel this is something that I can do to help them. I'm not a legendary blader nor am I as strong as the others following them."

Mana was quiet as she thought about Kenta's worries and woes; he was too young to be stressing over something as trying to help others. She stared at Ice Fox as the face bolt sparkled a light blue; Fox was there for her always. Who did Kenta have? She looked at the younger boy before shifting her gaze toward Ryuga. He had Ryuga. As much as that thought made no sense, Mana's mouth twitched upward slightly. She had joined them after the island tournament. The girl had seen Kenta's new move, and she realized he had become a lot more powerful than the last time she saw him. But, she was concerned. Traveling with Ryuga had to be stressful; he certainly wasn't one for conversations …

But, as she traveled with them for the past week, she came to understand something. Ryuga was Ryuga. She couldn't argue with those facts, but Kenta seemed to look up to him even if he was doing this to help Gingka and the others. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, but, in that little time they traveled together, a bond was formed between them. She leaned against the tree stump, as she was sitting on the ground, and stared at the stars.

"Why did I follow you again?"

A marshmallow smacked her in the face. She sat straight while her nose twitched from the contact of the soft, fluffy, delicious thing. Her eyes looked at the marshmallow before they traveled its path. Ryuga's glare was centered on her. She raised an eyebrow at him, "What?"

He sneered at her before continuing to fiddle with his bey. Her eyes rolled as she scoffed. Why through a marshmallow at her if he wasn't going to answer her ques … ah. She asked the very same thing he had asked at the beginning of the night; she never answered him. Her frown turned into a smirk as she picked up the same marshmallow before throwing at him once more. He caught it with his hand before turning his head toward her.

"Show off," she muttered. "Keep your marshmallow to yourself. I don't want it."

"Mana," said Kenta. "You're not as uptight as I thought you were."

Mana faked an insulted gasp before grinning at him. She wasn't nearly as uptight as others made her out to be. She had a personality – she glared at Ryuga. She preferred to keep to herself, because others were always challenging her due to her last name. Kenta laughed as he listened to her fake insulted gasp. Mana was actually kind of funny – then he yawned.

"I'm not a little kid," he grumbled. "I should be able to stay up later than this. I'm 12."

"I'm 15, but I still go to sleep at a normal hour," laughed Mana. "Go to sleep, Kenta."

The 12 years old boy nodded as he grabbed his sleeping bag to head to bed. Mana yawned as well, but she stayed in her seat. She leaned her hands back before slipping downwards a little with the movement. The stars were pretty tonight; she loved looking at them. Fox glowed that blue color as he felt the calmness of her mind. She smiled before placing him back in the bey holder on her left, upper arm.

"So, why are you here?"

Mana rolled her head before she looked at the bane of her existence at the moment. It's amazing how much one person can change when they had some sense knocked into their head.

"I came to make sure Kenta was okay. You're not exactly a conversationalist."

He snorted at her words; Mana raised an eyebrow in almost mock knowingness at her statement. He glared at her as she waved him off. Honestly, she wasn't afraid of him. Not anymore at least. She'll admit it; Mana Valkov was absolutely terrified of Ryuga during Battle Bladers – there – she said it. Now leave her alone.

"You don't scare me, Dragon Emperor," she said before hiding her yawn. "But, I'll admit at least this. Kenta is doing this for Gingka doing the same things you're doing; however, he looks up to you. Would it _kill _up to treat him a little bit nicer?"

He shrugged, "Probably."

"Oh please do be a little nicer to him then," she said, grinning. "One less pain in the ass in the world."

(Mana, don't say that! The one time he actually acts decent enough to somebody considered a friend, and he does disappear. She's going to hate herself later.)

He didn't reply before standing to walk into the woods. She went to open her mouth to fire out a question, but he beat her to it.

"Before you ask, I'm going to train."

She closed her mouth before staring at his back. What was he now? A mind reader? He disappeared into the woods as she shrugged. Oh well, maybe he's really a vampire. The girl snickered at her thoughts before grabbing her own sleeping bag. Well, she wasn't a vampire and needed her nightly beauty sleep. Mana snorted at the thought. Beauty sleep – right … She unrolled it near Kenta before putting the fire out for the night. She slid onto her stomach before rolling over to stare at the nighttime sky. The stares twinkled as she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Kenta … Ryuga."

* * *

**A/N: **Oh look. You get a glimpse of Mana's actual personality. She's not a total wet blanket. Her personality tends to fall to her great-great-great grandmother's side of the gene pool. She sticks to herself mostly due to the fact that people target her due to her last name. She loves Marshmallows by the way. And s'mores. I'm hungry for s'mores now. Thanks Mana. I've actually had this in my head for a while. She's not the type of person to travel with Gingka and the others (she needs peace and quiet every once in a while). And I always knew she'd treat Kenta as a little brother … so … yeah. Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Sticks and Stones

**A/N: **I'm having fun with these one shots. I'm not going to lie about such a thing. Mana would probably try to do all kinds of things to annoy Ryuga which really doesn't help Kenta's cause of recruiting him. Poor Kenta. He's, quite literally, stuck between a rock and a hard place. Well, here's the next one shot. I didn't name the first one, but it was called Marshmallows. Because, well, Mana threw marshmallows at Ryuga's head.

* * *

**Sticks and Stones **

Lavender eyes stared into Ryuga's skull as she listened to Kenta's tale about getting Ryuga to let him travel with him. As the story grew longer, her piercing stare into the back of the Dragon Emperor's head became worse. They had stopped to rest on their travels as another tournament was going to begin; Kenta wanted to join, and Mana figured out quickly that Ryuga let him do as he wished. The older boy didn't leave him either. It was strange to think he had some morals, but he did and Mana _was_ thankful for it. Now, she was starting to question his morals. Ryuga closed his eyes as he continued to clean L-Drago. His eye twitched as he felt her glare intensify as Kenta stopped talking about his journey.

"Stop staring at me, Mana!" he snapped. "I didn't ask him to follow me. It was his decision to follow _my _path."

"Huh. I was right. It would kill you to be nicer to him," she stated. "But, seriously, he almost fell off a cliff."

"It's fine, Mana," said Kenta as he tugged on her sleeve. "In a way, I had become stronger by doing those things on my own."

"Listen to the kid," scoffed Ryuga, "he knows what he's talking about."

"Chatty tonight, aren't you?" scoffed Mana in the same tone. "Seriously Ryuga, why do you alienate yourself from everybody else? Why not just join them for this cause?"

Golden eyes froze into a glare as he stared at her. The Ice Fox user didn't flinch, and she didn't turn her gaze. She'll say it again - she wasn't afraid of the Dragon Emperor. Actually, she had to resist the urge to flip him off. Oh, let's anger the vampire. It was becoming even more tempting. Ryuga grunted as he stood, dusted his clothes off and walked into the wilderness to train. Mana decided to flip him off as he had his back turned to her. He only returned the favor. The girl blinked.

"How the hell does he do that?! He's a telepathic vampire!"

Kenta grinned before he burst out laughing. Mana pouted as she sulked in her seat next to the green haired boy. He was finding her sorrow amusing. The older girl crossed her arms and looked away.

"Come Mana," choked out Kenta. "A telepathic vampire?"

"He doesn't sleep, and he knows what I'm going to say or do."

"Maybe you're predictable?" suggested Kenta.

Mana gasped at him before grinning, "Probably. Doesn't mean I won't try though."

It was after midnight when Ryuga had returned from training. He paused as he noticed Kenta sleeping underneath the tree closest to them. Then, he spied Mana poking the fire with a stick to keep it going. She was nodding off to sleep, but she stayed awake. The reason passed him. Why was she still awake if she was tired? Tired eyes stared at him as she smiled softly at his return. The dragon bey user sat opposite of her before he stared at her in - was that confusion? Mana blinked before saluting him.

"'Sup person that disappears for hours on end?" she asked. "Was training good?"

"Why are you up, pain?"

"Pain? That's a new one. Is that you think of me? I'm a pain to you?" she pondered.

He didn't answer her, so Mana decided to answer his question. "I wanted to make sure you returned before going to sleep. I have an innate worry about people who don't come back after a few hours. It's - it's a long story ..."

She grew quiet before grabbing some water and putting the fire out for the night. Ryuga returned, and she was happy he had returned. The girl unrolled her sleeping bag before crawling into it. She gave out a purr in content before nodding off to sleep quickly. Ryuga rolled his eyes as he saw her fall asleep so fast. Should have went to sleep when she was tired ... he went laid away from the two to sleep as well until he heard her muttered words as if she was reciting them to save her own life.

_Sticks and stones may break my bones. But words will never hurt me._

* * *

**A/N: **In which I decide to really dive into Mana's past as well as have her annoy the hell out of Ryuga. She is a pain. I have a feeling that its going to be her name from now on. These things happen. I can't help it. But, yeah, the words have to do with the reason she's got such an extreme fear of thunderstorms. Maybe I'll write that next.


	3. Strawberry-Banana Rings

**A/N: **I love writing one shots depicting Ryuga. I had to re-watch Kenta's Determination to find out how Ryuga reacts around Kenta. He wanted for him when he passed out in the desert. Dude, why must the villains, turned good guys, worm their way into my heart? (I'm talking about you as well Tala.) *stares at the both of them* Anyway, random one shot is random.

_This is a rough draft. A nicer version will be uploaded at a later date. I've decided to write these with the best of my ability (for fan fiction anyway). _

* * *

**Strawberry-Banana Rings **

The light pink and yellow ring was dropped into her mouth as Mana hummed in contentment. The rings dissolved instantly when they were mixed with her saliva. She bought them when they took a stop at the small town in the area. Her lips smacked together as she licked the sugar off of them. Her eyes sparkled as she went to eat another one. She held it up to take a look at the ring-y goodness.

"Ryuga, stopping at that town was your best decision yet," she commented before eating the ring. "I've been craving these things."

"Every time we stop at a town, you buy something sweet," he said as he walked ahead of Kenta and her. "Some sweet tooth."

Mana shrugged as she ate another one. She did have a sweet tooth; one of her weaknesses was strawberry-banana rings. Her hand rummaged through the bag as she grabbed the last one. She stared at it before looking at the younger boy beside her. She tore it in half before handing one side of it to Kenta. Kenta looked at her in confusion; he never had these before, so he was curious for her reason to give half to him.

"You said you never tried these," she answered his unheard question. "So, you can try a piece."

"Thanks!" he exclaimed before eating it. A few seconds later, Kenta made the funniest face. "S-S-Sour ..."

The Fox user giggled as she saw his reaction to them. The girl had forgotten they were sour since she had gotten use to the sour taste of the rings. She folded the plastic bag neatly before placing it in her messenger bag. The next time she saw a garbage can - she'd have to throw it away. The conversation had died down as they continued to walk the unbeaten path. Kenta looked at the sky to notice the pinkish hue that had settled across the landscape. He saw the sun setting and bit his lip. They were in the middle of nowhere with no shelter (or coverage). Mana saw his discomfort and bumped into him lightly.

"Don't worry about walking through the night, Kenta."

"But, we have no shelter or coverage - what happens if ..."

"Remember, we have big, bad Ryuga with us," she snickered. "With him, nothing dares come near us even at night."

The girl brushed past Ryuga before winking at him. She grinned afterward and walked ahead both boys. Ryuga let out a noise as he ran a hand over his face.

"I can handle the brat. I can't handle you, Valkov."

She turned to face both of them as she walked backwards. "Hey, I'll take that as a compliment."

The girl grinned at the both of them as she started turning around to hear the earth beneath her cracking. Of course, they had to be on a path that had a ledge. Not a steep drop, but nevertheless - the ground gave way as Mana let out a soft 'oh' before tumbling down the hill. When she came to a stop, the girl gave a shaky breath before kicking the rather heavy rock off her left ankle. She looked up to see a mess of green hair. Kenta looked at her with worry in his eyes. Ryuga was standing next to him with a rather emotionless expression.

"Are you alright, Mana?!" called Kenta.

She waved him off before standing. A slightly wince crossed her face as she put wait on her left ankle. All they did was walk - all she needed was a sprained ankle. Bearing the pain, she started up the slope to the path. She had almost made it when her ankle decided to give out on her. A hand caught her wrist before yanking her onto the path. She fell to the ground huffing before staring at the two boys. Kenta ran to her to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine. A little tumble won't hurt me."

"Tell that to your ankle," muttered Ryuga as he looked around the area. "Of course, we're in the middle of nowhere."

"My ankle's fine, dragon boy," she glowered. "We need to find some place to sleep anyway. I'd rather not sleep in the middle of a road."

"There's a cave," pointed out Kenta. "Maybe we can sleep there?"

Mana smiled at the smaller boy as Ryuga started walking to it. The girl let out a breath before standing. She gave out a hiss as her ankle throbbed in pain. Boy, she really hated her life at the moment. Her hand moved automatically to let Kenta know to not worry about her and go to the cave. They boy was reluctant before walking in the same direction as the Dragon Emperor. Mana stood straight as she slowly made her way toward the cave. Her ankle gave way as she tumbled forward. Something caught her as she stopped falling.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't stopped for those stupid rings," growled Ryuga as she helped her on her feet.

"You could have left," hissed Mana in annoyance. "What's stopping you from leaving, huh, Dragon Boy?"

The boy was silent as he continued to walk beside her. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration; she wasn't going to get an answer. Ever the mysterious person ... wasn't he? Silence fell between the trio as they slowly made their way to the cave. Soon enough, they made it the cave. Kenta, no sooner had he sat down, was out like a light. Traveling was touch especially on a 12 years old boy. Ryuga created a fire before leaning against the wall of their shelter.

"Not going to train?"

"I don't need to dig dead bodies out of a cave."

"Ha ha," Mana laughed sarcastically. "I'll put the 'me causing a cave in' insult right next to 'Bad Luck Valkov'."

There was a pregnant silence before Mana decided to speak up, "Well, Ryuga, why don't you leave?"

"I keep promises," he grumbled. "Happy now?"

"Very Dragon Boy," she said as she grinned.

"Go to sleep, Pain," he growled. "And don't call me that."

Mana smirked, "I'll stop calling you Dragon Boy when you stop calling me Pain."

He went silent before glaring at her. Mana's smirk widened; she had won this, it really wasn't such, argument. She had to make this even better. It was her goal to annoy Ryuga. She failed the last couple of times.

"Well, since neither of us find them as insults, then we'll just call them pet names."

The Dragon Emperor pushed off the wall before walking outside of the cave. Hey, she had won! Score 1 for Mana Valkov! The girl did a mental dance in her head. Oh boy, best day of her life. Though, as she thought about it, something didn't make sense. She knew he had a promise with Kenta as the boy could challenge him whenever to a bey battle. Of course, he had to be serious about it when battling Kenta - but - why help her?

"Hey, Ryuga," she said. When nothing was said back, Mana continued. "If you're only here for Kenta, why'd you help me?"

"You know what," he said, "you can die in a cave in. Just make sure to let Kenta escape. I'm going to train."

He jumped off the side of the small ledge to find a place to train. Mana blinked before her eyes narrowed and she puffed her cheeks out in frustration.

"Ugh! You're a jerk, Dragon Boy!"

* * *

**A/N**: Yeah, my titles to these are random. Strawberry-Banana rings had almost nothing to do with this story. Nothing. Anyway, I fell Ryuga is warming up to the both of them (even if he doesn't want to admit it). And believe me, after watching the episodes with Kenta and him (and the one that almost made me cry, dammit), he does warm up to Kenta. So, why not to her as well? Oh well, please review!


	4. Dark Ravage

**A/N: **Okay. I love writing these things, alright? Good. Glad we have that covered. ;) Anyway, I feel I'm missing quite a bit of Mana's life, so I'm going to flesh her out through these one shots. Of course, Ryuga and Kenta will be stuck with learning her life story. Ha ha. Good luck, boys! *runs behind bullet proof glass*

* * *

**Dark Ravage **

_Dust covered the stadium as people held their hands over their mouths. The battle had gotten intense, and they hadn't realized that the unknown Mana was _that _powerful. Ryuga growled as he realized somebody was giving him a tough time in a bey battle; nobody should give him a rough time especially some unknown brat that was friends with Gingka and his group of lackeys. The purple haired girl coughed to get rid of the dust in her lungs. Ice Fox was in a stalemate with L-Drago, and neither bey was giving in to the other's power. She took a deep breath to study her shaky nerves. The girl went into the battle with confidence that she shouldn't have had when she had saw all the things he had done to the others that faced him. Now, she was frightened. Fox was holding his own - for how long? Would he give in eventually? She saw the wisps of purple wavering through the hair from L-Drago's dark energy. Ryuga narrowed his eyes as he saw her wavering in her confidence; it caused him to smirk. Ah, he was finally getting to this one. _

_"I have to admit," he spoke. "You were a tougher nut to crack than all the others." _

_She was shaking, but the glare she held in her eyes shook his very core. Then again, what could she do to him? He was the most powerful with his bey at his side. Mana flickered her gaze to her friends before she took a deep, calming breath. Her glare intensified as Fox broke away from the struggle and circled the stadium. Ryuga soon grew bored of this cat and mouse chase. It was time to end this battle - once and for all. _

_"Dark move!" he exclaimed. _

_"Whoa!" came the voice of Blader DJ. "We should probably move, people!" _

_The crowd started to retreat, but the girl in front of him didn't move her ground. He snarled, "Dragon Emperor - Soaring Bite Strike!" _

_The two dark energy balls appeared in his hands as he thrust them forward to help control L-Drago. Mana's eyes sprang to life as the light returned in them. She crossed her wrists over one another before speaking, "Don't think you're the only one that can control darkness, Ryuga! Special move!" _

_The crowd stopped retreating as they heard her retaliation to the attack. They turned in their spots to watch the end of the match. A circle of symbols had surrounded Mana's feet. The circles grew larger and spread over the field. A wobbling fox strengthened as his rotation increased. Soon enough, the speed bey disappeared. _

_"I won't let you use that dark move to harm anybody else! Do you hear that?! Fox, Dark Ravage!" _

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Did I hear Mana correctly?! Did she just call out a move called Dark Ravage?" exclaimed the announcer. "This battle just keeps getting better!" _

_"What?!" exclaimed Ryuga as he saw the symbols closing around L-Drago. _

_Fox slammed into L-Drago from all angles and sides as it kept up the high speed of its rotation. A opaque, black box surrounded L-Drago as the dark energy within it began to become chained. She was sealing his power away. Is this what she meant by he wasn't the only one to control darkness? No - she wasn't going to upstart him. _

_"L-Drago!" _

_The box cracked as L-Drago's dark energy released from the stadium into the sky. Fox wobbled from the impact as Mana flew away from the stadium from the force of the power. When the energy dissipated, the stadium was in ruins. Ryuga breathed heavily before recalling L-Drago. The symbols in the circle slowly started to disappear. He saw the smoke of Ice Fox as it lain in its own ruins. It cracked before falling apart. The Dragon Emperor turned to watch the scene as he heard Gingka and his lackeys calling her name. She was thrown over the rubble unconscious. Her head was bleeding from the impact, and a rather large piece of rubble had fallen onto her right leg. _

_"Announce it!" he snapped at Blader DJ. _

_"A-And, Ryuga wins!" _

**/**

Gold eyes snapped opened as Ryuga took a breath before turning onto his other side. He saw the remains of a dwindling fire before noticing two very _attaching_ presences on the other side of it. Kenta had rolled on his back with his arms and legs outstretched. He was snoring quite loudly, but it was drowned out by the noises of the woods they were spending the night in at the moment. The boy had managed to pull his shirt up as his arm lay over his stomach. The dragon bey user 'tched' as his attention turned to the other person that decided to follow him. He was laying on her side, using her arm as a pillow, as her hair draped over her neck as it had fallen out of the ponytail. He grunted before running a hand through his hair.

"Why the hell did I dream about **that **battle?"

He hadn't thought much about Battle Bladers ever since he tamed L-Drago. Ever since Nemesis awoken, he had been drawn to its dark power, and the memories of his time using similar dark power were streaming back to him. Though, why did he dream that particular battle? Mana Valkov, the bane of his existence at the moment, didn't give him much of a challenge at the time. Okay, so maybe he did get worried when she started to seal his bey's powers with that little move of her's, but he managed to beat her and damage both the bey and the user. He rolled onto his back as he stared at the stars. They twinkled as if mocking him. Ryuga grimaced at the though of the very things giving all the beys in the world power. The stars made the constellations.

"Having trouble sleeping?" a sleep filled voice asked.

He gave a snort in response to her question. Mana rubbed her eyes of sleepers before stretching and giving a yawn. The girl ran a hand through her hair before redoing the ponytail that had fallen out while she was sleeping. She fixed the fire as it burned brighter. Kenta moved closer to it in response to the warmth it gave to the three of them at night. She tilted her head as she watched him staring at the stars. Ryuga watched her out of the corner of his eye before speaking the question on his mind, "When we battled during Battle Bladers, what did you mean that I wasn't the only one that could control darkness?"

"... Oh," she said after a moment's pause. "It's been two years, and you ask me that now?"

He imagined her raise an eyebrow in curiosity, so he shrugged his shoulders as he waited for her answer. Mana sighed as she cracked her shoulders than her fingers.

"I have an innate control over darkness. Fox can absorb dark energy, and I can release it from him. Darkness isn't evil, and you, obviously, know it can be controlled. It's that simple," she explained.

"You're not telling me everything, Valkov," he growled. "Not just anybody has an innate control over darkness. Not to mention, that special move you used on me to try and seal L-Drago's powers ..."

"Dark Ravage isn't in my normal arsenal of moves, by the way," she muttered. "It's a move Shade Ookami knew when it was still a spinning bey -"

"Wait," he interrupted her. "You _just _said Shade Ookami. As in the beast, Shadow, that the bey held. One of the original dark element beys."

Mana nodded numbly before she continued, "I also learned Darkness Storm from my great-great-great grandmother. And before you say anything, I'm known for my last name. Yet, nobody knows my grandmother was **the **Megan Kirson - the owner of Shade Ookami and Shadow."

"So, when you said ...?" he asked, eyes wide at the realization.

"I meant it. I can control the darkness for the fact that its in my genes."

L-Drago Destroy started to glow red as it picked up a spike in Nemesis' activity. Ryuga stared at it before looking in the area that the bey grew brightest. Mana sighed as she kneel next to him. The girl looked in the same direction before placing her hand over L-Drago causing the light to dim. He glared at her, and she smiled softly at him.

"The dark powers of Nemesis are definitely alluring, Ryuga. They're not everything though."

"I aim to to be the most powerful in this world," he said taking his bey (and his hand) back. "And to do that, I must make Nemesis' power my own."

Mana sighed as she stood from her kneeling position; the girl wasn't going to change his mind. In fact, she figured nobody was going to change his mind. Not even - her gaze stopped on Kenta - not even the one person that seemed to have gotten to the Dragon Emperor. The girl wouldn't deny that Kenta and Ryuga had some weird bond going on somewhere in the line. She paused as she heard Ryuga speak underneath his breath:

"If it came to it, do you think your sealing move would work to help the others stop Nemesis?"

"Well, I can always try."

* * *

**A/N: **Wow. _That _was a serious one shot. Holy carp. I love it. Mana sees the bond between Kenta and Ryuga. How can she not see her own bond with the stubborn Dragon Emperor? *laughing* I love it. She's so clueless. When did you two form a bond? I must know. *stares* Alright, I have to head to bed. Good night everybody. I hope to see lots of reviews for this in my email tomorrow. With that, I bid you ado!


	5. After Battle

**A/N: **I love writing these one shots, but I get the innate feeling that nobody else likes them. I don't mind not getting any views, but, I, like the rest of the writers out there, want attention for the things I write. You can even tell me they're horrible (believe me, you won't hurt my feelings). I want to know if I'm doing things right or doing things wrong. I want to know all the mistakes I'm making in my writing. Is that too much to ask for? (Yes, I'm well aware that I'm whining, okay? Okay, good.)

* * *

**After Battle **

The skies quieted as they turned blue. The group sat on the ground as they tried to catch their breath. Pale fingers scraped across the ground, dirt appearing beneath broken fingernails, as lavender eyes fluttered open with a soft groan escaping from dry, cracked lips. Mana lifted her front half with her shaking hands as she looked around the island. A black and dark blue bey caught her attention as she grabbed it. The color and face bolt changed as she twirled the bey around in her hands; it wasn't Ice Fox anymore. Sadness shown in her eyes as she looked around the area. Others were sitting straight as they tried to catch their breath. Gingka was on the ground as she assumed he won his battle. Actually, she knew he won the battle - even in her state of unconsciousness she was able to hear his call of help from everybody in the world.

"Mana!"

The girl didn't have a chance to stand as she was knocked back over by a familiar green haired boy. She smiled softly before wrapping her arms around the small boy. He cried into her shirt as she ran a hand through his hair. The moves she pulled to help crack Nemesis' barrier were probably worrisome for the boy especially since the one person he spent so much time over the last few weeks had disappeared. Her smile fell as she thought about the event. _She _felt as if a part of her was missing. The girl sighed as she stared at Guardian Kyuubi as the face bolt glowed an opaque black. Gone were the days of ice and dark, and dark took over the whole bey's element. Kenta heard her sigh as he stared at her in confusion. Mana smiled at him before speaking, "I did some really stupid things."

"You can say that again," grumbled Kenta. "You had me worried, Mana. You had everybody worried."

"I'd rather not say it again," she joked. "But, I'm sorry, Kenta. I hadn't meant for Fox to absorb part of Nemesis' energy while sealing away the barrier's power."

Kenta nuzzled his head in her shirt as he stayed on her lap. The helicopters were finally landing to take everybody home. Home. Mana ran her fingers through Kenta's hair as she realized he had passed out from exhaustion. She hadn't been home in a long time. She wondered if her parents missed her. They probably did miss her. She up and left without saying much of a word to them. Her message was "Going to travel the world. Be back whenever!". The girl looked to the sky as she saw that the sun was starting to set. Her smile returned when she thought she saw a dragon flying through the clouds before disappearing. She had done some really stupid things - yet - she'd do them all over again to help her friends.

**All **of her friends.

* * *

**A/N: **Short one shot is short. I've been trying to write this one for over three hours now. Gasp! Ryuga doesn't make an 'appearance' in this one! Duh. It's after they defeated Nemesis. Anyway, its a short blurb about how Mana helped, but it's also the explanation on Ice Fox's upgrade to a purely dark bey. Don't worry. ;) Fox did't absorb a lot of energy. Just enough to make his own to become Guardian Kyuubi. Well, hope everybody enjoys!


	6. There's a Leek in the Boat!

**A/N: **I had finished watching _Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2_. I have no idea how this is relevant to the one shot. I'm just saying it because I can. :)

* * *

**There's a Leek in the Boat! **

"What does the title have to do with the story?"

"Don't break the fourth wall, Mana."

"Have some fun, Ryuga. Who knows what's on the other side of the wall?"

"Your crazy creator."

"... True ... point taken."

Kenta looked between the two of them as he listened to them talk to each other. Honestly, the boy had no idea what they were talking about with each other. What was the fourth wall? Was it an important wall? He crossed his hands behind his back before walking between the two of them.

"What are you talking about?" the green haired boy asked.

"The fourth wall," chirped Mana as she grinned at him. "A wall that separates dimensions."

"It also causes pain for me."

"Norrrmally," sang Mana. "Do you follow, Kenta?"

"I think so," the boy said. "So, somebody is on the other side of the wall - controlling us?"

"Yep," both said.

The boy continued to walk between them before he grinned from ear to ear. He had thought of something to bother both of them - possibly. Hey, Kenta had to have fun once in awhile.

"So, this person - say, can make you two a couple?"

"Ugh, please Kenta, don't give her ideas," groaned Mana. "Who wants to be with Dragon Boy?"

Ryuga grunted as he glared at the smaller boy from the corner of his eye. Kenta snickered as he walked ahead of them. They should have never told him this information.

"Never tell Kenta about the fourth wall," sighed Mana as she hung her head. "Who knew he had it in his bones to tease people?"

"I'll never speak of this again you don't."

"Deal."

* * *

**A/N: **The fourth wall - they know about it. *stares at Mana and Ryuga* I have no idea about this dabble. Don't take it serious. It's not really serious. They broke the fourth wall. (And the title really doesn't have to do with anything.)


	7. Quiet

**A/N: **I'd like to thank the one person that has been reviewing this series. It means the world to me. (You have no idea.) Just remember that! ;) Anyway, I had this stuck in my head for awhile, and I'm going to attempt to write it on the laptop. Forgive me if anybody seems out of character.

* * *

**Quiet **

_"Mana's quiet," whispered Madoka to the others. "I know she's a nice person, but she's even quieter than Kyouya." _

In all honesty, they had not meant to run into Gingka and the others as they tried to find where Johannes and his lackeys had disappeared. Mana had, cough begged couch, asked Ryuga about stopping in the nearest town as she needed to buy a few things. Said things weren't not mentioned as she refused to answer Kenta or his questions about it. All she told them was it was a girl thing which had Ryuga shut up about it, but Kenta was curious afterward. Of course, they ran into everybody else. The groups stared at each other before Mana rolled her eyes and walked into the store without saying a word to anybody.

"She's still quiet," pointed out Mana.

"Funny, I can't get her to shut up," commented Ryuga. "Are we talking about the same person?"

Gingka's group blinked as they heard the Dragon Emperor's retort. He couldn't shut Mana up? It didn't make sense when the girl hardly talked when she was around them. All eyes turned toward her when she walked out of the store. Lavender eyes blinked as she raised an eyebrow, "What? Is there something on my face?"

"The world's going to end," joked the Pegasus user. "Mana said more than two words!"

"Ha ha," she sarcastically laughed. "You're hilarious, Gingka."

Kenta grinned as he noticed the agitated look on Ryuga's face. Mana hardly talked when she was with the group, but he couldn't get her to shut up. She smiled around her friends while she looked extremely uncomfortable. Ryuga's fingers tapped against his arm as he watched them. Kenta laughed nervously before dragging Mana from their friends, "Sorry guys. But, we're on a tight schedule."

Mana smiled as she saluted them by before flipping them off. The group sighed as they realized she was the same Mana as always. As the trio got a good distance away, Mana started humming a tune. Ryuga stopped, and she ran right into him. The girl rubbed her nose as she glared at his back. That hurt, idiot!

"What the hell, Ryuga?! Don't stop walking without telling anybody!"

"Why aren't you this chatty around your friends?" he asked while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I've never been?" she answered with her own confused question. "Does it bother you that you can't get me to shut the hell up?"

"Precisely," he drawled in a monotone voice - Mana suddenly pictured him as Scar from The Lion King. Funny enough, she thought he'd be good for the role. The thought had her laughing soon enough. The dragon bey user snarled as he trapped her against a wall to the building. Mana gave out an 'eep' as she tried to understand why he was so mad at her.

"Why can't you be quiet for a few minutes?"

Mana nodded to his question before he let her walk back with Kenta. The boy snickered. He definitely knew this wasn't going to last long. Mana stayed quiet. Ryuga gnashed his teeth together.

"Fine! Talk all you want."

"He's gotten used to my talking," she whispered to Kenta who just laughed.


	8. Battle

**A/N: **After getting the first two chapters up for my newest story, I decided to update my one shots. Yes, I'm a genius.

* * *

**Battle **

_"Could you use that attack to help defeat Nemesis?" _

Mana stood as she staggered slightly. Fox wobbled as he continued to spin around the dish. The girl looked at an unconscious Ryuga before looking at all the others trying to stop Nemesis. They were blown away. Aguma was giving orders before she touched him on the arm. He stopped to give her a confused look.

"Let ... Let me try something," she huffed. "It ... It might help you."

"The Legendary Bladers can't even stop him," commented Aguma. "What can you do?"

"I may not be a Legendary Blader, Aguma," she said, looking at him. "But, I think I can help you weaken Nemesis."

"Weaken a god!" laughed Rago. "It's a laugh! You're nothing but a worm."

Ice Fox's spin returned as Mana glared at Rago and Pluto. The bey swayed before it disappeared from sight. It began smacking into Nemesis. The god bey didn't budge, but Mana wasn't going to give up. Kenta watched her as she staggered slightly before standing straight. She moved her legs into a position to help her balance. She crossed her wrists in front of her. His eyes widened before he ran toward her wrapping his arms around her waist.

"No, Mana, don't do it," he cried.

She smiled at the boy. "I'll be fine, Kenta."

She pushed him away as symbols began appearing at her feet. The symbols arranged into a circle as they grew wider and wider until they were climbing around the walls and dish. The Legendary Bladers watched in amazement of the symbols. Dunamis watched in amazement. He had never seen anything like this attack. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Hey, Pluto!" shouted Mana. "Megan Kirson. Ring a bell?"

Everybody, including Rago, froze as they heard the famous dark bey user's name. Mana's mouth twitched. Oh, they heard of her alright. She let a grin break on her face as Fox started slamming into Nemesis from all sides and angles. A black opaque box began to glow around the bey. Pluto grimaced as he saw chains begin to wrap around Nemesis and its power.

"This isn't Zeus' barrier!"

"No, its my great-great-great grandmother's for dark powers being used for evil! Special move, DARK RAVAGE!"

A black light shined as Fox slammed into Nemesis as the barrier completed. Lavender eyes widened as soon as she realized that Fox was draining some of Nemesis' energy. She gasped.

"Fox, no!"

"The only way you would weaken Nemesis is if you took some of his energy," laughed Rago. "Your bey won't be able to handle it! L-Drago certainly couldn't! You're nothing but worms. Worms need to stay down!"

"Fox!" she screamed as the dark energy began to wafer around the contained bey.

Fox began to wobble as it took a small fraction of the energy into it. Mana grimaced as she felt the energy pulsating through her. She had an innate control over darkness, but was she that good with it. She grimaced once again as she tried to get Fox to pull away. She held her head.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

**Relax, Mana. Take a deep breath and let it flow through you. **

Her eyes widened as she looked around the arena. Her necklace was glowing brightly. The pendent snapped from it as it tumbled to the ground. An old fashioned bit-chip tumbled out of it. The bit shown with energy. Shadow as within her necklace this whole time. Her father never told her this when he gave it to her.

"Mana!" everybody shouted.

**Relax. Let it flow through you. I'll help you, Mana. **

A black furred she wolf with piercing red eyes appeared before the crowd. She snarled at the Black Sun. Her head snapped back as she let out a long howl that shook the place. The energy dissipated before the wolf joined Fox in the bey. The bey began to glow. It took a different color and shape. When it was done, a different bey was grinding against Nemesis. Mana staggered from the energy burnt in her body. She shook her head.

"Kyuubi, break through!"

The others swarmed around Nemesis as they waited for Mana's attack. Dark Ravage broke as a six tailed fox appeared from Mana's bey. It's tails spread as will-o-wisps appeared between each one. The bey glowed a ghostly color as it charged after the Black Sun.

"Special move! Soul Reaping!"

"Nemesis!"

Kyuubi slammed into him, but he wasn't powerful enough with the way Mana was feeling. Nemesis lit up as it sent out a energy wave at Mana. The girl flew back before she smacked her head off the rock floor. Her hand twitched, but she had fallen unconscious. Kenta glared at Rago as he attacked. He was taking people from him. People he cared about. He was going to win!


	9. What If

**A/N: **I'm exploring things! *flails* When I explore things, it generally does not go well. By the way, I have fallen in love with Mana and Ryuga being together; however, I'm reluctant to put them together since they'd only really get to know each other during Metal Fury. My couple has fallen through. Ha ha! Anyway, this a general what if - and me making a next generation character. (Somehow, Midnight Skies has become a title for all one shots between Ryuga/Mana, Mana/Kenta, or Ryuga/Mana/Kenta. The trio!)

* * *

**What if: **

Mana didn't mind her job; she really didn't mind her job. Teaching Biology at the high school was absolutely amazing; however, the kids could be extremely obnoxious. The 25 years old woman had to wonder if she was that obnoxious at 15 years of age. She opened the door to the apartment before closing it gently. She didn't hear a peep which came off as weird to her. The woman set her bag beside the door before taking her shoes off. She hated carpet flooring; it never stayed clean. She walked into the living room to only have a smile cross her face. Okay, crisis adverted. Of course, he was't supposed to be home for another two days. Well, coming home early was always nice. Not missing the chance, she took out her iPhone 5 to take a picture of Ryuga and Ren passed out on the couch. Ren had turned 5 months old last week, and she was always with a babysitter.

Ryuga traveled when he was needed as a blader; however, he was gone a lot of the time. Mana had her teaching job, so they had no choice but to have a babysitter for Ren during the day. She leaned against the door frame as she looked at the two of them. Honestly, the woman had to wonder how she did it. How had she managed to snag Ryuga? It seemed impossible when she traveled with him all those years ago. But, here they were. Nontraditional living together with a 5 month old daughter. Seemed legit. Nontraditional? She never married him. It didn't feel right. Not that it bothered Mana. She still had Ren. Speaking of Ren, the little girl looked like her mother except she had white hair, with a purple streak, and golden eyes. She got those features from Ryuga. The woman quickly set the picture as her wallpaper on her iPhone.

Who said not everybody could find somebody to love them?

* * *

**A/N: **Introductions! Readers - Ren. Ren - readers!

**Name: **Ren

**Gender: **Female

**Appearance: **Ren had gotten most of her genes from her mother it seems; however, her hair is white, with a purple streak, and her eyes are golden.

More information to come later!


	10. Valentines Day

**A/N: **Special Valentines Day one shot! It's also a what if, because it's Mana x Ryuga.

* * *

**Valentines Day **

Lavender eyes watched the couples as they passed through Madoka's shop to look at the beyblade parts. The 22 years old girl growled as the lat couple walked out of the shop. She was extremely jealous. Everybody did something on this day with their significant other, but she hadn't the luxury of such a thing. Her boyfriend wasn't like all the others. Then again, she was pretty sure that whoever goes out with Kyouya will have to deal with the same thing. Then again, she wouldn't know. Nobody was definitely the same as the Dragon Emperor himself. Her head lolled to the side as she saw Madoka coming upstairs from her basement.

"Is something wrong, Mana?" she asked.

"Jealous."

"Why would you be jealous?"

"Mmmphmm," she grumbled into the glass casing.

Madoka sighed as she sat next to her friend. She knew what was going on; it happened last year as well. Ryuga wasn't the type of person to celebrate Valentines Day, so he ignored it. Mana didn't mind, but she still got jealous when others spent the day together, but he was no where to be found - off training - or something. The woman snarled as she got up from her seat.

"Thanks for letting me spend time here, Madoka," she said, smiling. "Now, go hang out with Gingka. I know you want to."

The statement caused Madoka to blush, but Mana laughed as she walked out of the B-Pit. The woman soon made it to her apartment before she noticed a familiar figure leaning against her door. Her small smile made its way to her face. Ryuga leaned against her door with his eyes closed. Typical Ryuga, she thought.

"What's up, oh mighty Dragon Boy?"

"Don't call me that, Mana," he growled while opening his eyes to look at her. "Anyway, I finished training early, so I thought I'd come visit."

"Well sure," she said while opening the door. "Come on in."

He walked in after her, closed the door and grabbed the unsuspecting girl around the waist. The movement caused Mana to squeak, and she never squeaked - ever. She turned to glare at him. He smirked before kissing her. The action caused Mana to freeze. They always still surprised her. Of course, he never kissed her a lot anyway. Her anger ebbed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She hated him at the moment. He always did this when he knew she was mad at him.

"Wait," she said, pulling away. "I'm mad at you. You do this every Valentines Day. I'm getting extremely annoyed with it."

"First," he argued. "We've been together for two years. That only counts as one Valentines Day. And second, do you really expect me to celebrate such a idiotic holiday?"

"Well, no, but I'd like to spend some of the day with you," she muttered. "I don't want chocolates or roses - I don't care about cards. I just want you."

An amused expression crossed his face, "That was something I hadn't expected you to say."

"Okay, it was corny, but its true."

Ryuga went to reply, but she kissed him once again. Hey, it didn't happen often.


End file.
